[Slow Ben]

Somehow, dont ask me how, but somehow I'd never read Dune. I'm about 150 pages in and despite already seeing the movie, im really enjoying it.

Query. How do the other Dune books hold up?

[JPK]

Slow Ben, on 17 December 2023 - 11:24 PM, said:

Somehow, dont ask me how, but somehow I'd never read Dune. I'm about 150 pages in and despite already seeing the movie, im really enjoying it.

Query. How do the other Dune books hold up?

There are definitely ups and downs but I think that the 6 by Frank Herbert are worth reading. He gets to some really interesting philosophy in 4&5. Is really too bad that he died and that NO ONE ever wrote any more Dune books. EVER.

[amphibian]

I think a ton of people miss that Herbert was working with real Islamic history and don't fully get what he was trying to do with the next couple Dune books, so they didn't have as strong a reputation as the first one.

The far future Dune books are kinda tough to read and understand.

The Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson books are awful enough that just reading the wiki summaries is enough to understand what Frank Herbert was going for.

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 15 December 2023 - 05:43 PM, said:

Next up, Felix Gilman's HALF-MADE WORLD. This one's been in the trp a looooooong time.

omg i LOVE this setting. The Wild West vibe, the backstory to the Line and the Gun, the somewhat Forkrul Assail-like tribesmen... i am so in.

[polishgenius]

Felix Gilman rocks.

[pat5150]

Slow Ben, on 17 December 2023 - 11:24 PM, said:

Somehow, dont ask me how, but somehow I'd never read Dune. I'm about 150 pages in and despite already seeing the movie, im really enjoying it.

Query. How do the other Dune books hold up?

Other than God-Emperor of Dune, all the novels are quite good.

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 18 December 2023 - 03:41 AM, said:

Abyss, on 15 December 2023 - 05:43 PM, said:

Next up, Felix Gilman's HALF-MADE WORLD. This one's been in the trp a looooooong time.

omg i LOVE this setting. The Wild West vibe, the backstory to the Line and the Gun, the somewhat Forkrul Assail-like tribesmen... i am so in.

polishgenius, on 18 December 2023 - 10:23 PM, said:

Felix Gilman rocks.

This book is hitting all the right marks for me. Sequel already lined up.

(heehee see what i did there?)

[Abyss]

pat5150, on 19 December 2023 - 04:15 AM, said:

Slow Ben, on 17 December 2023 - 11:24 PM, said:

Somehow, dont ask me how, but somehow I'd never read Dune. I'm about 150 pages in and despite already seeing the movie, im really enjoying it.

Query. How do the other Dune books hold up?

Other than God-Emperor of Dune, all the novels are quite good.

I think they're all pretty good to amazaballs as part of the story. GOD-EMPEROR maybe CHAPTERHOUSE go a bit sideways but the six books work as a whole is rightly a classic. Absolutely worth trying even if you decide you've had enough before the end.

I'm kind of glad that no one else ever tried to write any more books in the series. Ever. Never ever ever.

[JPK]

Abyss, on 19 December 2023 - 03:29 PM, said:

pat5150, on 19 December 2023 - 04:15 AM, said:

Slow Ben, on 17 December 2023 - 11:24 PM, said:

Somehow, dont ask me how, but somehow I'd never read Dune. I'm about 150 pages in and despite already seeing the movie, im really enjoying it.

Query. How do the other Dune books hold up?

Other than God-Emperor of Dune, all the novels are quite good.

I think they're all pretty good to amazaballs as part of the story. GOD-EMPEROR maybe CHAPTERHOUSE go a bit sideways but the six books work as a whole is rightly a classic. Absolutely worth trying even if you decide you've had enough before the end.

I'm kind of glad that no one else ever tried to write any more books in the series. Ever. Never ever ever.

I really think it's a ymmv thing because for me, I struggled a lot with CHILDREN OF DUNE but was absolutely captivated by GOD-EMPEROR. I do agree that CHAPTERHOUSE was a weaker entry, though I think it's because we never got to see where Frank Herbert was going with it since we never got to see his version of the last book and I refuse to acknowledge rumors that a version exists that was cannibalized from his notes post-mortem.

I'll also add an obligatory comment that I enjoyed these a lot as audiobooks.

[polishgenius]

Abyss, on 19 December 2023 - 03:07 PM, said:

Abyss, on 18 December 2023 - 03:41 AM, said:

Abyss, on 15 December 2023 - 05:43 PM, said:

Next up, Felix Gilman's HALF-MADE WORLD. This one's been in the trp a looooooong time.

omg i LOVE this setting. The Wild West vibe, the backstory to the Line and the Gun, the somewhat Forkrul Assail-like tribesmen... i am so in.

polishgenius, on 18 December 2023 - 10:23 PM, said:

Felix Gilman rocks.

This book is hitting all the right marks for me. Sequel already lined up.

(heehee see what i did there?)

I feel like I should warn you just a bit that, although I loved it if anything even more than the first, Rise of Random City is written in a very different way than Half-made World. Could be a little bit of an expectation shock. Great once you vibe with what Gilman is doing, though.

[Abyss]

polishgenius, on 19 December 2023 - 05:36 PM, said:

Abyss, on 19 December 2023 - 03:07 PM, said:

Abyss, on 18 December 2023 - 03:41 AM, said:

Abyss, on 15 December 2023 - 05:43 PM, said:

Next up, Felix Gilman's HALF-MADE WORLD. This one's been in the trp a looooooong time.

omg i LOVE this setting. The Wild West vibe, the backstory to the Line and the Gun, the somewhat Forkrul Assail-like tribesmen... i am so in.

polishgenius, on 18 December 2023 - 10:23 PM, said:

Felix Gilman rocks.

This book is hitting all the right marks for me. Sequel already lined up.

(heehee see what i did there?)

I feel like I should warn you just a bit that, although I loved it if anything even more than the first, Rise of Random City is written in a very different way than Half-made World. Could be a little bit of an expectation shock. Great once you vibe with what Gilman is doing, though.

Fair, but i'm liking the writing beyond the specifics of this book, so no worries.

[Tiste Simeon]

Tiste Simeon, on 09 December 2023 - 06:28 AM, said:

I think I'm going to read Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard next.

I am approximately 25% of the way through this now and it is an absolute delight.

Spoiler

I have just read the scene where they're at the symphony in Gorjo City and the Emperor finally reveals who he is and how important Cliopher actually is to the empire, and I am grinning like a great big buffoon, such a fun scene.

Literally nothing has really happened in this book and I'm entranced!

[Cyphon]

I love that book. Court intrigue/etc. is more my jam than battle scenes. The latter are always a means to an end for me. I just never quite know to find those kind of books

[Tiste Simeon]

Cyphon, on 23 December 2023 - 10:36 PM, said:

I love that book. Court intrigue/etc. is more my jam than battle scenes. The latter are always a means to an end for me. I just never quite know to find those kind of books

I wonder if (and I cast no aspersions at all on authors who do more battles etc) the intrigue etc is a little bit harder to write in a compelling way to keep people interested than fast moving action? So there's less of it around?

This post has been edited by Tiste Simeon: 24 December 2023 - 10:24 AM

[polishgenius]

I don't think it's necessarily harder to write intrigue well but action that is written badly or averagely is still action whereas intrigue that is written badly isn't intriguing. So it tends to feel like nothing's happened whereas battles are definitely something even if it was written in the most basic way.




Anyway Victoria Goddard fucking rocks.




I'm currently reading Shadow Baron by Davinia Evans, sequel to Notorious Sorcerer from last year. Heaps of fun so far, if anything a step up from the already-fun original. Lots of derring do and magical shenanigans, but also some crime-underworld-based jockeying for power. This is one of those 'would really fit the tastes of most on this forum I think' series, and I highly recommend giving it a go.

[Tiste Simeon]

polishgenius, on 24 December 2023 - 03:01 PM, said:

I don't think it's necessarily harder to write intrigue well but action that is written badly or averagely is still action whereas intrigue that is written badly isn't intriguing. So it tends to feel like nothing's happened whereas battles are definitely something even if it was written in the most basic way.




Anyway Victoria Goddard fucking rocks.

I think that's what I was trying to go with but you said it much better than I!

Whatever the case I'm hugely enjoying it!

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 19 December 2023 - 03:07 PM, said:

Abyss, on 18 December 2023 - 03:41 AM, said:

Abyss, on 15 December 2023 - 05:43 PM, said:

Next up, Felix Gilman's HALF-MADE WORLD. This one's been in the trp a looooooong time.

omg i LOVE this setting. The Wild West vibe, the backstory to the Line and the Gun, the somewhat Forkrul Assail-like tribesmen... i am so in.

polishgenius, on 18 December 2023 - 10:23 PM, said:

Felix Gilman rocks.

This book is hitting all the right marks for me. Sequel already lined up.

(heehee see what i did there?)

Just Finished.
Totally enjoyed it. The weird west steampunk elements are fun, the characters are great, I love the setting and the underlying conflict between demon factions, the action is good to great. Starting the sequel RISE OF RANSOM CITY straightaway.

[Slow Ben]

Wrapped up Dune. I did really enjoy it. Probably only an above average book by modern standards, but i can imagine people losing their shit in 1965. Gonna put a small dent into the TRP before moving on to other Dune books.


Bitter Crown and City of Night are next and I really friggin want to read them both, so i flipped a coin.

Bitter Crown it is.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Just finished Big Damn Hero by James Lovegrove, it's the first of his eight Firefly novels.

Meh, firmly a 3/5 stars middle of the road. It showcases the best and worst of something being written by someone who is clearly a huge fan of the TV series. He nails the characters and dialogue (Zoe and Wash's interactions are particularly joyous to read), but he also can't stop throwing in references to the content of the TV series in ways that don't make any sense and interrupt the flow of what is otherwise okay pacing and an interesting enough caper. At first I thought maybe they were there for the purposes of the slim chance that someone has picked a Firefly book up without already being a fan of the series, but the longer the book goes on the less context and explanation they give and they appear to be there for being there's sake.

I might give a couple more a try, they're fine as "switch brain off" fare and I'm hoping that tendency to smack you on the nose with references will reduce outside of the first book. No way I'm reading all eight - between the constraints of the timeline of the 14 episodes of the series and a quick read of the synopsis of a few of them, there clearly aren't enough story options to merit eight books. At least three from that glance involve a main plot of a (different each time) crew member being kidnapped, for instance.

Started Unruly by David Mitchell, a history of the kings and queens of England. Mitchell's customary snark leaps off the page every other line and I'm only a couple of chapters in and I love it already. If you love a bad pun, this book is clearly going to be a treasure. Humour aside though it's clearly been well researched and Mitchell is a great writer.

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 08 January 2024 - 11:26 AM

[Tiste Simeon]

Bad puns you say?